By Chinyerec Aruogu
An angry wife has told an Igando Customary Court in Lagos presided over by Adegboyega Omilola how her husband attempted to rape her before her wards.
Bolanle Abdul Kareem said he does such each time his husband, Olasunkanmmi comes home drunk.
Also, she complained that the husband was in the habit of trying to kill her if she refuses his sexual advances.
“My husband rapes me in the presence of our children,” Bolanle, a 40-year-old trader told the court on Wednesday, March 29.
Bolanle said Olasunkanmi with whom she had three children in their 17-year-old marriage; molests her whenever he got drunk.
Bolanle reported: “Whenever my husband comes home drunk, he will want to make love to me by fire by force and I will caution him not to do it in the presence of our children.
“He will beat me and make love to me by force while the children watch us.
“There was a day I came back from work and I met my children, one on top of another doing what they always see their father do to me.”
The petitioner said her husband always threatens to kill her even on trivial matters.
Her words: “My husband derives pleasure in beating me. There was a day he beat me and broke my leg.
“One day, he threatened to kill me, so I ran to one of my relative’s house.
“My husband came there, he met my sister’s husband ironing his clothes; he snatched the iron from him and started chasing me with it.
“Seeing his desperation, I ran into the street and my husband still chased me with the pressing iron.
“Anytime, I reported him at the Police station the Police always tell me that it is a family matter and refused to caution him.”
Describing Olasunkanmi as an irresponsible husband and father who does not care about the welfare and education of the children, she said she is the one who pays the school fees of the children.
She therefore begged the court to dissolve their marriage, noting that she was no longer in love with the husband.
Hear her: “He has a tricycle that he is using for business but he always uses the proceeds to drink to stupor and usually loses self-control.”
Olasunkanmi who did not deny the allegation of rape before their children, however, begged the court not to dissolve the union.
“Please, do not dissolve our marriage, I still love my wife, I know I have made a mistake; I will make amend,’’ he said.
On the claim that he beats the wife, the 42-year-old commercial tricycle operator admitted that he used to beat his wife, whenever she flouted his orders.
“I don’t derive pleasure in beating her but I only beat her whenever she disobeys my instruction.
“The day I snatched the pressing iron from my in-law, I only wanted to use the iron wire to beat her and not to burn her’’.
He denied that he is a drunk, saying he drinks moderately
Before the President of the court ordered the couple to come along with three members of their families for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), he adjourned the case till May 9 for further hearing.